#16: Earphone Woes, Overcoming a Lisp, and the Beauty of Linguistic "Mistakes"

#16: Earphone Woes, Overcoming a Lisp, and the Beauty of Linguistic "Mistakes"

Episode Summary In this episode, Kinoko kicks things off with some unfortunate news—she has lost her wireless earphones yet again! This sparks a deeper conversation about the pros and cons of wired versus wireless gear, leading into a fascinating discussion on audio feedback, speech habits, and language learning. Masaki opens up about his personal journey of overcoming a strong childhood lisp in Japanese (but oddly, not in English) and explains the different psychological and anatomical reasons behind speech impediments. The hosts also explore English idioms, the evolution of accents, and wrap up with an exciting update on Kinoko’s Tokyo sharehouse project. Key Topics Covered * The Earphone Curse: Kinoko shares her frustration after losing her new Beats earphones just months after losing her AirPods in Hanoi. * Wired vs. Wireless: Why Masaki prefers wired earphones for recording to avoid "speaking into the void" and the importance of real-time audio feedback. * English Word Corner: Breaking down phrases and definitions, including "lose track," "mumbling," and the pronunciation differences of words like niche, schedule, and Appalachian. * Overcoming a Lisp: Masaki discusses his past struggle with a Japanese lisp (specifically with the i-dan row, like pronouncing "lemon tea" as "lemonkey") and how speech retuning works. * Are Accents Just Accumulated Mistakes? A fun, philosophical debate on whether accents and language evolution are just the result of "accumulated mistakes" that eventually became mainstream. * Platform Update & Sharehouse Crowdfunding: The podcast has officially moved its main hosting to Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Plus, an update on Kinoko’s Tokyo sharehouse crowdfunding campaign, which runs until June 30th. Mentioned in This Episode Tokyo Sharehouse Opening!Kinoko's crowdfunding project is active until June 30th. If you or someone you know is looking for an affordable, flexible, short-term housing option in Tokyo without the massive hotel bills or strict apartment lease rules, check out Kinoko's sharehouse! Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our new homes on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and leave us a review! Links * Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/kinoko1027] * Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/] * Her book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA] * Her interview: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196 [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196]

#15 Rainy season, rural Gunma, and not fleeing too far from home

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies. We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics: * Kinoko's runny nose and the rainy season being her least favorite season – and the strange gap in English: we have "favorite" but no direct antonym like "hated" (we say "least favorite" or "I hate"). * Why the rainy season is discouraging: humidity, rain, feeling lazy to go out – while Masaki actually prefers it over the lethal summer heat (especially in Gunma, one of the hottest areas in Japan, reaching 43°C). * Gunma's extreme climate: boiling summers, freezing winters, and famously strong winds that can blow you away (Mary Poppins style). * Kinoko's one year living in rural Gunma after quitting her company job, staying in a friend's house near the mountains, using a wood stove, and living next to a dairy farm. * Masaki's confession: growing up in the Kanto region, he thought the area west of Gunma was just ocean – because TV weather forecasts only show Kanto with a thick contour, graying out everything else. (He now knows Niigata and the Chugoku region exist.) * The word "archipelago" (Japanese archipelago has over 6,000 islands) vs. "rettō" (islands in a line). * Kinoko's dream: organizing Poly Lounge events in all 47 prefectures of Japan – she's already done over 10 locations. * The dichotomy between city and countryside: big cities aren't always better for queer people; moving somewhere in the vicinity of your hometown can be a good option. * Vocabulary: least favorite, lethal, fluctuate, rural, vicinity, dichotomy, archipelago, contour, marginalized. Note: Kinoko is currently working on her crowdfunding campaign for the new sharehouse – still looking for residents and support. Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along. Connect with Kinoko-san * Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/kinoko1027] * Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/] * Her book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA] * Her interview: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196 [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196]

#14 Tokyo Pride, polyamory flags, and who belongs in the queer community

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies. We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics: * Kinoko attending Tokyo Pride for the first time in 5–7 years, marching with poly-friendly friends and holding up a polyamory flag (infinity heart symbol). * The explosion of LGBTQ+ flags – too many to remember, with some evolving over time (e.g., the progress pride flag's colors representing trans people, BIPOC, and HIV/AIDS awareness). * The term BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and its roots in U.S. anti-racism; why the progress flag includes brown and black stripes. * The ongoing debate: Is polyamory an orientation or a lifestyle? Many poly people (especially straight-identifying) don't see themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community. * Masaki's argument: polyamory challenges heteronormative family structures and should be included; Kinoko agrees that anyone facing difficulty in their relationships or life practices should be welcome. * Kinoko's idea of someday organizing a polyamory parade or float. * Masaki's observation: he often feels more understood by working-class straight people (e.g., an old man at an izakaya counter) than by elite LGBTQ+ academics, because shared experiences of hardship transcend identity labels. Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along. Connect with Kinoko-san * Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠⁠ [https://x.com/kinoko1027] * Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠⁠ [https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/] * Her book: ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠⁠ [https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA] * Her interview: ⁠⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196 [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196]

#13 Night owls, morning persons, and the joy of trivial research

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies. We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics: * Kinoko arriving late due to a typhoon, closing her curtains, and her usual routine as a morning person (waking at 6 AM, bed by 11 PM at the latest) – despite enjoying underground night events, she always catches the last train. * Masaki as a night person who stays up until 4 or 5 AM, especially when he has no obligations the next day, doing "trivial research" (e.g., 18 hours on German architecture) just for fun. * The difference between obligated (legal/contractual) and obliged (personal/moral feeling); Masaki's "mild obligation" of waking up with his boyfriend helps maintain his daily rhythm. * Masaki getting a new passport entirely online (using My Number card, paying by credit card, picking it up in five minutes at the city office) – much easier than in the past. * Kinoko's younger self as a night person who would stay up reading books all night, but now her age and nature prevent that; staying up late would waste the whole next day. * Surprising shared love for kanbun (classical Chinese literature) – Kinoko finds it fun like a foreign language; Masaki hated it in school and didn't know anyone who liked it. * Masaki's reading habits: slow reader, buys books and piles them up unread (tsundoku / book hoarding), but is excited to announce he will publish a book (a compilation of essays) next year. * The unique pleasure of paper books: no alerts, no notifications, nothing interrupts the reading experience. Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along. Connect with Kinoko-san * Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠ [https://x.com/kinoko1027] * Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠ [https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/] * Her book: ⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠ [https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA] * Her interview: ⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196 [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196]

#12 Crowdfunding a queer sharehouse, chaotic Kabukicho, and the right to be ambitious

Kinoko is one of my ESL students and the author of I Have Two Partners: Living the Polyamorous Life, a ground-breaking book in Japanese about polyamory, as well as the organizer of Poly Lounge, a series of events for polyamorous and questioning people and allies. We publish archived videos of our lessons as a podcast. Today, our conversation covered the following topics: * Kinoko's crowdfunding campaign for her new sharehouse in Minowa, Tokyo (LGBTQ+ friendly, poly-friendly), with 9 rooms and 7 still empty. She needs both financial support and new residents. * Why she runs a sharehouse: as a polyamorous queer person who has had a hysterectomy, she can't form a "normal" family, so she wants to create an alternative, safe, comfortable living space. * Future dream locations: Kabukicho and Golden Gai – chaotic, dirty, underground areas where "everyone is strange" and queer people can go stealth because no one cares. * The feeling of alienation in mainstream queer circles (often elite, college-educated) versus feeling more at home with marginalized straight people (nightlife workers, factory workers, the economically disadvantaged). * Masaki's childhood inspiration from a Takeshi Kaneshiro movie: wanting to live above a shop on a busy street, watching people pass by. * Both as queer entrepreneurs – the Japanese cultural reluctance to openly support minority-owned businesses or talk about money, and the suspicion that using one's minority status is for personal gain. * The counterargument: marginalized people have every right to be ambitious, make surplus, and use that money to help others in their community, as Masaki experienced after saving money for the first time. * Vocabulary: hysterectomy, alienating, tendency, surplus, affluent, loan/borrow/rent, entrepreneur pronunciation, stealth. Tip: Turn on the automatic transcript feature if you’d like to read along. Connect with Kinoko-san * Kinoko-san’s X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/kinoko1027⁠⁠ [https://x.com/kinoko1027] * Kinoko-san’s blog: ⁠⁠https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/⁠⁠ [https://ameblo.jp/kinoko1027ameba/] * Her book: ⁠⁠https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA⁠⁠ [https://amzn.asia/d/0gusbsvA] * Her interview: ⁠⁠https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196 [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ad17531bef6f9307a429f45f450a9fb2817f8196]